In California it's not illegal to lane split. If you didn't know, lane splitting is riding in between lanes of traffic, usually when traffic is slow moving or at a standstill. Actually, there's recent legislation to make lane splitting legal in California (as I said before, it's just not illegal). With the new laws, there will be some rules to regulate this practice.
Have I ever done any lane splitting? Yes, but only a couple of times, as I don't live in California (I believe that it is allowed in other countries as well). For the most part, it seemed pretty unsafe to me.
The reason I'm writing about this is this study (http://www.tmleuven.be/project/motorcyclesandcommuting/20110921_Motorfietsen_eindrapport_Eng.pdf). A couple conclusions found here were that lane splitting actually helps traffic flow and is MORE safe than just sitting in traffic like all of the other vehicles. You are actually more visible when you are riding along side of a slow moving vehicle than when you are in front or behind them! Maybe lane splitting should be legalized everywhere.
"A story to me means a plot where there is some surprise. Because that's how life is - full of surprises." - Isaac Bashevis Singer
So, the roads are bare. My hopes have finally come true. However, I haven't taken my bike out yet. Why? A few reasons I'll discuss below.
First I want to say that this is not putting down anyone who has already been riding in my area. A few years ago I would have been doing the same.
First, my bike is only a year old and the roads are covered in corrosive salt that has been dumped on the roads for the last four months. I would rather not quicken the rust process on my nearly new motorcycle. If I was still riding one of my old bikes my attitude toward this would probably be different.
Second, along with the salt, there is copious amounts of sand that has also been dumped on the roads. Piles of sand on corners and at stop signs can lead to a wipe out rather quickly.
Third is the water runoff from all the melting snow. Now, being a rider who is all for riding in wet conditions, this can seem like a contradiction to my normal stance, but the water has the chance to be quite deep in this instance (I've ridden through six inch deep water running across a road in past springs).
Lastly, when the temperature rises like it has, the wildlife tends to start moving. Like us humans, animals like to get out and exercise (actually, they're trying to find food) when weather becomes pleasant. I've mentioned before that I'm currently traveling for work and during my travels I had to brake for multiple deer, turkeys, crows, and porcupines. Combine this with the aforementioned bad road conditions and you could be setting yourself up for a shitty day when an animal jumps in front of you unexpectedly.
My advice? Wait until we get a nice rain to wash most of the sand and salt from the roads. It's only going to be an extra week to wait and it might save you from an accident. Either way, ride safe everyone!
"Said woman take it slow, and it'll work itself out fine. All we need is just a little patience." - lyrics from Patience by Guns N' Roses
If you want to get enraged, take a look at this article and video (http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/motorcycles/video-road-rage-fight-between-motorcyclist-and-car/ar-BBrrpAs). The video shows an altercation between a motorcyclist and a driver of a car. The guy in the car is either too ignorant to realize that swerving around a motorcycle like that could lead to SEVERE injury or death, or he actually wants to kill the motorcyclist.
I'm pretty sure the motorcyclist did something to provoke this guy, but it was taken to a whole new level of crazy. I'm sure this video will be used as evidence to prosecute the driver. Actually, he had to notice the GoPro on the rider's helmet, so he must be a moron to continue to attack him with his car.
My advice to anyone finding themselves in a similar situation is to flee to a safe spot as quickly as possible. It seemed like this rider was trying to do this at times, but never got away. I saw some pretty clear straight stretches of road that he could have accelerated away from the car. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the way I saw it, especially since the rider was on a super sport. That bike should easily be able to get away from the car. But, riding at high speeds in a residential area carries it's own dangers as well. This is really a bad situation in all regards!
"I may be crazy, but it keeps me from going insane." - Waylon Jennings
I wasn't going to rant about the weather this week. Then I woke up this morning and my thermometer read 3 degrees Fahrenheit. 3 fucking degrees!!!!! Yes, this is April! This is about the farthest from motorcycle weather you can possibly get.
I know this post is nearly the same as the one last week, but I need to vent to keep my own sanity. Actually, I'm traveling for work, so I wouldn't be riding even if the weather was great. Since I'm not even home I shouldn't really complain, but I still do.
So, if you're having a motorcycle free April like me, keep your head up. Like I said in last week's post, riding weather is on it's way. There's no need to shop for houses in the south yet (I have done that in the past when we've had unusually long winters). On the bright side, we have a lot of extra time to get our bikes ready for riding.
"Nothing burns like the cold." - George R. R. Martin
